I always love the miscellaneous categories in trivia games and shows. The "Grab Bag" category, or whatever they call it, on Jeopardy is always full of very random questions and facts.
Time has been fairly short this week, so I apologize for the quick posts. Here are some quips about things I have been thinking about but haven't had time to write complete posts about:
Life Begins @ Thirty nominated in the Food Blog Awards. This blog has been nominated for "Best Food Blog - Food Industry", which I couldn't be more pleased about. Of all the categories listed, this is the one that I am most excited to be recognized for. The new year will continue to bring you more facts about the food industry, sustainable and local buying, and more farmer's market reviews. Please vote today!
One last chance for local gift buying. The Ferry Plaza Farmer's Market is holding a special Christmas eve market on Friday, December 24 from 10 am - 2 pm. According to the newsletter, the following farms are planning on attending: Allstar Organics, Bariani Olive Oil, Bulldog Cactus, Captain Mike's Holy Smoke,
Downtown Bakery, Eatwell Farm, Four Sisters Farm, Galaxy Granola, Genuine Exotic
Melons, G.L. Alfieri Farms, Happy Boy Farm, Hare Hollow, Hidden Star Orchard,
Highland Hills Farm, Iacopi Farm, Juicey Lucy, Lagier Ranches, Loulou’s Garden,
Marin Gourmet, Moua Farm, Nash’s Olive Oil, Nick Sciabica and Sons Olive Oil,
Redwood Hill, Star Route Farm, The Pasta Shop, Torosian Farms, and Twin Girls
Farm.
Corporation-Friendly Laws outlaw Seed Saving in Iraq. This is an issue that I have been reading quite a bit about, and am outraged over. Essentially, new legislation put into effect by the new Iraqi government with guidance by the U.S. is outlawing the centuries-old tradition of farmers to save seeds. The reasons for this are supposedly many - from making Iraq friendly to big business (ie., Monsanto and other large seed companies) to making the Iraqi crops more exportable. What it will do is make the Iraqi farmers completely dependent on patented seeds that are being thrust upon them by big business. Keep an eye out for stories about this or read more about it here.
Forget about taste, Florida says, these tomates are just too ugly to ship. Unlike the smooth, round baseball-size tomatoes usually shipped from Florida from mid-October through mid-April, the lush, vine-ripened UglyRipes have what the industry calls a "cat face," full of uneven crevices and ridges. The Florida Tomato Committee, a trade group that controls sales and shipments of round tomatoes, has determined that the brand does not meet its standards for shape, lack of blemishes and other defects. "The marketing order has nothing to do with taste," said Skip Jonas, the committee's compliance officer. "Taste is subjective."
